a burbling wren

New bird of the season: MARSH WREN, singing up a storm from the Phragmites not far from where the Clapper Rail has been clapping. Unlike the rail, which remained hidden, the wren eventually showed itself, spread-eagled between and hanging on to parallel stalks of reeds (see picture above) while burbling away non-stop. This, species, an uncommon breeder on Long Island, is a regular visitor to our marsh in fall migration but we'd never know he was there if he wasn't so songful.

There were at least two Black-and-white Warblers (male and female) in the woods this morning plus little groups of American Redstart and Common Yellowthroat. Also Ruby-throated Hummingbird (at the intersection of the woods and marsh), Eastern Wood-Pewee (ditto), Great Blue Heron (ditto; no egrets in sight!). A pair of Mute Swans on Weesuck Creek were swimming out on the creek with just a single offspring between them. Where are the swans of yesteryear?

Eric Salzman

a kek-kek-keking rail

A Clapper Rail has been present for the past three days in our marsh, often calling loudly and coming very close to the opening where water flows through the marsh but never poking its head out to be seen. It could, I suppose, be a (closely-related) King Rail which has appeared in our marsh a few times over the years. But the persistent kek call and the obvious appeal of a salt marsh all make Clapper the most likely choice! Clappers nest in the marshes on the south side of the bay and, if I am not mistaken, there was a nest this year in the Pine Neck marsh.

There are notable numbers of American Redstarts all over the property, easily picked out in the canopy by their lively movements, tail flicking and fast chases. Common Yellowthroats, Yellow Warbler and Northern Waterthrush are still showing along with Hairy Woodpecker and Green Herons. A few swallows dot the skies here and there -- mostly Tree Swallows with a handful of Purple Martins and an occasional Barn Swallow. A notable feature of this summer's activity has been the presence of White-breasted Nuthatches which have probably bred (and whose offspring are scattered around, hard to see but easily identifiable by sound). I think this is the first time that this species has been with us all summer.

In my list of large butterflies seen this summer, I neglected to mention the pair of look-a-likes: the Spicebush Swallowtail and the Red-spotted Purple. Both are mimics of the Pipevine Swallow which, like the Monarch, is poisonous or noxious to predators.

Eric Salzman

Pine Warbler in a dying pine

I was hopeful that the cool weather of the past two evenings would produce migrants but this morning was fairly quiet. Pine Warbler appeared high in a big dying pine half way down to the marsh (the pine is presumably a late victim to the hurricanitis of past years). Setophaga (formerly Dendroica) pinus is prominent here in the spring when its trilling note is very prominent but it has not been heard or seen for many weeks now. Other warblers seen this morning were the same ones (same species at least) that have been prominent in the past week or two.

The loud peeeeek of the Hairy Woodpecker from the same dying Pine Warbler pine was what originally attracted my attention in its direction. Down by the water, there are two East Kingbirds hunting around the pond and a very drab Eastern Phoebe moving hither and yon. Royal Terns continue to frequent the creek in seemingly increasing numbers.

Unlike past years, there has been no big butterfly or dragonfly influx to date but there have been a few Monarchs on the move, many Tiger Swallowtails, a number of Red Admirals and Mourning Cloaks, an occasional angle-wing (probably mostly Eastern Comma) and various skippers which I am still tearing my hair out trying to identify.

Eric Salzman

Clapper Rail, possible Olive-sided Flycatcher & a young night heron

Was that a cool front that came through last night? At any rate, this was a beautiful morning with some signs of migration. A Clapper Rail was clapping away on the marsh early on (this species breeds elsewhere on Shinnecock Bay but this was its first noted appearance on our marsh this year).

Another 'new' bird perched high on the dead branches of a Sandy victim, had a big dark head and a strikingly white 'shirt' and a fairly substantial bill. A striking feature was the white markings under the wing, all of which point to Olive-sided Flycatcher. Late August is probably not an early date for these birds in migration.

An Osprey landed on one of our dead trees to devour its prey, a small fish from the creek. A Red-tailed Hawk has also been hanging around, attracting the interest and enmity of the local crows.

Many Gray Catbirds scattered around; most of them probably came in last night. Eastern Kingbird plus several Blue-gray Gnatcatchers along with half a dozen warblers (American Redstart, Prairie Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Waterthrush) were holdovers from the past week's activity.

Eileen Schwinn sent me this photo of a night-heron, seen on the opposite side of Weesuck Creek for the past week or two. This is a very young bird (note the wispy crown feathers). The elongated shape, distinct neck stripings, thin lines and white dots on the wing coverts, thick bill, long legs and general 'jizz' all indicate juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, possibly (I would say likely) the offspring of the two adults seen on this side of the creek yesterday. I have been seeing adults and young of this species quite regularly during the past couple of summers indicating that there is a nest somewhere on the creek!

Eric Salzman

Eric Salzman

Yellow-crowned Night-Herons

Not one but two adult Yellow-crowned Night Herons on the pond this morning. This gorgeous bird was a regular visitor last year at low tide but it hasn't been seen much this year until now.

Royal Terns come up the creek quite regularly, mostly in the morning and later in the afternoon. They often come in pairs with an adult leading the way with its easily identifiable raspy call followed by a juvenile whose call is noticeably less raspy. Yesterday, a noisy adult came up the creek with a fish in its beak followed by equally noisy youngster who was clearly campaigning to get a bite. Eventually, the young bird landed on the water, still calling, and the adult circled round, landed next to the juvenile, and gave him/her the fish!

On the land side, there were Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Common Yellowthroat, Prairie Warblers, House Finches and the usual collection of titmice and chickadees.

squeaky trees

There are two trees in front of the house -- one dead, one live -- that rub up against one another and, when the wind is blowing (as it was much of today), they produce the most amazing range of squeaks and squeals. This attracted the attention of a rather large flock of Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice the members of which spent the better part of an hour trying to figure out the source of the sounds! I couldn't find any warblers in this flock but there was at least one Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, a Baltimore Oriole and several Blue Jays. At the same time, a rather large flock of Common Grackles, with a couple of Brown-headed Cowbirds included, moved in and scattered themselves all through the woods and open areas in front of the house.

The season's first Great Yellowlegs appeared in the pond in the morning with Eastern Kingbird nearby (and some flocks of Starlings and House Sparrows). Many Royal Terns on the creek. With the cloudy weather and fairly strong winds, there was the possibility of more migrants but I simply didn't have the time to search for them.

Eric Salzman

recent arrivals

Recent Arrivals:

Hairy Woodpecker: does not seem to nest on the property but appeared here a couple of days ago with its signature loud EEEK! as a giveaway. It joins our woodpeckers-in-residence: the smaller Downy Woodpecker, the common Red-bellied Woodpecker and the Northern Flicker. The only other woodpecker likely to be seen here is the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a winter resident that arrives in the fall.

Belted Kingfisher: Although this bird has been a regular on Weesuck Creek over the years, it has been noticeably absent this summer until this morning when one turned up on the creek. Its signature call, a loud rattle, is always a giveaway.

Spicebush Swallowtail: Not a bird but a summer butterfly and one of the biggest and most attractive of its kind. I think our insects feed on Sassafras which is a fairly common local tree.

I recently discovered a web site for "Skippers of the Northeast" with a lot of videos of different species. Skippers are butterflies but they are far and away the most difficult to ID>

Eric Salzman

big flock

The biggest flock of the season so far was in the pines, cedars and oaks just back of the pond and it was, not surprisingly, dominated by Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, doing their amazing acrobatics in search of food. This morning's warblers (many of them mixed in with the flock but some out on their own) included American Redstart, Black-and-white Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and perhaps as many as 10 or a dozen Northern Waterthrushes (the Waterthrushes were spread out along the marsh edge all the way up and down). Also Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, White-breasted Nuthatch, Hairy, Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers, House and Carolina Wrens, House Finches, American Goldfinch, a few swallows (mostly Barns).

Eric Salzman

more from the deck

The cicada pictured below was discovered on our deck yesterday and it has been identified with moderate assurance as Neotibicen lyricen lyricen, the Lyric or Swamp Lyric Cicada. This is the cicada that sings all day -- loudest in the evening -- and has a distinct crescendo-decrescendo in its song. Since they are all around, it is remarkable how rarely we get to see one! Note the brownish markings on the black.

Even more unlikely was the appearance in front of the deck of a Groundhog or Woodchuck that came loping out of the woods right in front of the deck. It stopped long enough to give us an extended once-over and then turned 45 degrees to gambol down the path towards the pond and marsh. Marmota monax is not a rare animal here on the East End since it colonized this part of the world a number of years ago. But it appears mostly north of here (often on the edge of the highway) and this is only the second one that I have ever seen down here.

Bird activity in the past couple of days has included Hairy Woodpecker, several Black-and-white Warblers, American Redstart and White-breasted Nuthatch along with the flocks of Tufted Titmice and Black-capped Chickadees. In some ways, the most interesting bird -- not flocking with the others -- was a Warbling Vireo. Once common, then rare, now making a comeback, Warbling Vireo is always a pleasure to see if you can pick it out. It is famous as the bird that can be identified by noting that iit has no identifying features. But this is a slight exaggeration; it is somewhat similar to but a little smaller than a Red-eyed Vireo with a horizontal perch, faint eye-line, rounded head, smallish bill and an even coloration from the top of its head to the back. The main confusion species is the much sought-after Philadelphia Vireo which is more yellowish underneath and has darker lores.

Eric Salzman

from the deck

Our daughter Eva, who spent her summers out here as a child (with her twin sister, Stephanie) often laments the fact that she has never seen a hummingbird. This afternoon, as we were all sitting on the front deck when a hummingbird suddenly appeared. "Eva," I shouted, "there's a hummingbird hovering right over your head." Of course, she whirled around and the startled bird took off for parts unknown. The bird was mostly gray underneath (I didn't get a good look from above) and there were white tips on the tail which probably indicated a female. I see hummers here fairly often but have never found a nest on the property.

I didn't get to do a walk this morning but, after the hummingbird incident, a flock of birds came through led by Tufted Titmice and a few Black-capped Chickadees. In the flock was a couple of Black-and-white Warblers, an American Redstart and a White-breasted Nuthatch. Plenty of butterfly activity visible off the deck as well including some of the same species as yesterday: Tiger Swallowtail, Eastern Tailed Blue and a couple of different skippers.

Eric Salzman

flutterbys, flycatchers and warblers

Many butterflies appeared after the Tuesday rains, some of them easy to ID (Tiger Swallowtail) and some of them quite difficult (skippers). The Tiger Swallowtails (there seem to be more than one) zip up and back in the open area in front of the house -- usually in the middle to late afternoon. I don't think this is a migration but perhaps it is a territorial or courtship display. A bright blue butterfly was probably an Eastern Tailed Blue. Some quite bright orange skippers active around the house are probably either Fiery Skipper or Delaware Skipper. A different skipper (Zabulon Skipper?) with a yellow hindwing spot enclosed by dark borders, occurs in the marsh where it perches on reeds;

Today's bird list included several flycatchers (Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, one of the Empidonax flycatchers not identified as to species at a distance), several warblers (Blue-wing Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, several Common Yellowthroats, Yellow Warbler and Northern Waterthrush). The Black-and-white was the first of the season.

Eric Salzman

a rough local census

The most common bird on the property right now is the Tufted Titmouse. They go round in flocks of half-a-dozen to a dozen birds, feeding and calling with a whole lengthly repertoire of sounds ranging from the classic 'peter, peter' to single notes, both clear and quavery, to various buzzing chick-a-dee-type sounds. They are very acrobatic, feeding anywhere from ground level to tree tops. The flocks are probably single families or, in some cases, the joining together of families. These flocks almost always contain a few Black-capped Chickadees, and a Downy Woodpecker or two. These birds are notable for their year-round presence. There was a Hairy Woodpecker on the property today plus the other two large woodpeckers: Red-belled and Flicker. A few Blue Jays (but not many possibly due to the poor acorn crop). Both wrens -- House and Carolina -- still active. Warblers still sparse in the woods.

Eastern Kingbird appears periodically and occasionally other flycatchers show up.

The bird life of the marsh has changed drastically with just a handful of Red-winged Blackbirds still active around the edges or in the marsh itself. The Purple Martins are gone and there are only a few swallows -- mostly Barn -- left to skim for insects across the wetlands. Around the marsh edges are Yellow Warblers, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroats and American Goldfinch.

On the creek itself, the most common tern is the Royal with very few Common or Least Terns. Does this suggest a nesting failure by these last two species, normally dominant on the bay and creek? Osprey seems to be holding its own with (as far as I can tell) two birds produced by each of the two Pine Neck nests.

Eric Salzman

Screech-owls, warblers and a butterfly

At c. 4 am this morning, there were calling Eastern Screech-Owls right outside our bedroom window. From the sounds, I would say that these were young birds accompanied by at least one adult. We heard Great Horned Owls duetting earlier this summer but these were the first Screech-Owls.

Today's Dave Taft column, "NYC Nature", features the Common Yellowthroat, about which he says that it may be "the most beautiful bird no one knows". There was a time when I didn't know it either. I can remember hearing one many years ago and misidentifying it. Although the classic call of this bird is a three-syllabed "witchity-witchity-witch", this  one sang a two-syllable "weechie-weechie-weechie". Aha, I thought, "teach-er, teach-er, teach-er"; it's an Ovenbird. But when I finally got a good look at the bird, I was startled to see an exotic-looking creature with a black mask -- nothing like an Ovenbird. Common Yellowthroats (sometimes two pairs) have raised young on our marsh edge every year since and it is indeed the most common warbler hereabouts.

We do see and hear other warblers. This morning's catch-of-the-day included Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, American Redstart (first-year female) and two or three tail-wagging Prairie Warblers -- first of the season for this handsome bright yellow bird with side streaking.

As I came back from my morning walk, there was a Hairstreak sitting on the front deck of the house basking in the sun with closed wings. The Hairstreaks are a group of small butterflies; this one had a very noticeable zig-zag red band going all the way up the underside of its fore- and hindwings, making it almost certainly the Red-banded Hairstreak, Calycopis cecrops, a southern species which was long considered only a stray to the north (but may be colonizing our area).

Eric Salzman

bats and an empid

Last night's barbecue was enlivened by the presence of bats -- fair-sized creatures hurtling over the open areas in front of the house -- as well as a few late-season fireflies. Another feature of the evening was the katydidding of the season's first katydids (at least the first ones that I've heard).

Today's premiere avian appearance was a tail-flicking 'Traill's" Flycatcher working the Phragmites for insects on the far side of the pond. 'Traill's' is, of course, the old name for an amalgam of two Empidonax flycatchers: Willow and Alder, best differentiated by their song. Since none of the flycatchers seem to be singing at this point, the ID is much more difficult. This bird had a strikingly peaked head, yellow lower bill, very faint eye ring, strong wing bars and a medium primary extension. Although the plumage was mostly plain brown, there was a kind of discoloration on the back (between the wings) which appeared to be olivey or even slightly reddish, depending on the light. All these features plus the habitat plus the likelihood that the bird was a local, suggests a Willow Flycatcher, a bird that breeds in bushy vegetation near the water on the barrier beach.

Some of the other, more familiar midsummer visitors were in evidence. Strangled calls from the bay mean that Royal Terns are about. A young spotless Spotted Sandpiper and a dink-a-dink Northern Waterthrush popped up from the pond edge. Tufted Titmice everywhere. 

Eric Salzman

Purple Martins still here

In spite of yesterday's comments about the Purple Martin colony at the far end of our marsh (the implication being that the Martins had already left for the summer), there were half a dozen Martins hunting insects over my head this morning to the accompaniment of the melodious chirping that is their trademark.

Last night was a late night -- it was the opening night of "Les Miserables" at the Quogue Community Theater with our granddaughter in the cast -- so it was hot and sunny by the time I got up and I got no further than the pond on my morning walk. There were Royal Terns on the creek, several Green Herons flitting about, a warbler or two (Yellows as far as I could tell) and a hummingbird that came streaking across my field of vision.

Eric Salzman

warbler wave

There was a mini warbler wave this morning with the appearance of American Redstart, Blue-winged Warbler, two or three Northern Waterthrushes, several Yellow Warblers, and Common Yellowthroat. Does this represent local breeders starting to move around or is it the actual beginning of migration?

In contrast, Purple Martins and other swallows have become scarce with only a few stragglers (late nesters?) hanging around the gourd colony near the Town Dock. One Chimney Swift (not a swallow but with a similar mode of life) was working the edges of the marsh.

Eric Salzman

Blue Moon

Driving east from Westhampton to East Quogue on Wednesday evening, we encountered a remarkable sight: a huge round ball hanging over the trees. It was, of course, the Blue Moon -- not blue at all but rather orangey or cream-colored. The impression of huge size was overwhelming. "Why," Lorna asked, "does it look so huge."

Rather than heading straight home, we drove to the Town Dock at the end of Bay Avenue where the oversize moon and its reflection hung over the water. A bit later, we watched it rise -- and shrink in size -- from our front deck as it rose over the trees and water.

The delicate purple flower known as Germander or Wood Sage, is in bloom around the marsh edge. Small black dragonflies -- some with yellow tails -- are active in and around the marsh; these are the Seaside Dragonlets, a species indigenous to the salt marsh.

One 'new' bird for the season: Blue-gray Gnatcatchers. Also Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroat

Eric Salzman